30-year climate normals

Barnes County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

81.2°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of -2.3°F.

Barnes County gets 21.46" of precipitation a year, and 46% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	18.3°	-2.3°	0.52"
February	23.2°	1.3°	0.50"
March	36.0°	14.2°	0.81"
April	53.2°	27.7°	1.22"
May	67.1°	41.2°	3.21"
June	76.4°	53.2°	3.59"
July	81.2°	57.0°	3.02"
August	80.1°	54.1°	2.59"
September	71.4°	44.6°	2.73"
October	55.9°	31.9°	1.91"
November	38.3°	18.3°	0.69"
December	24.2°	5.6°	0.67"

Rainfall by month

Barnes County has a distinct wet season. 46% of the year's precipitation arrives in May, Jun, Jul.

January 0.52"

February 0.50"

March 0.81"

April 1.22"

May 3.21"

June 3.59"

July 3.02"

August 2.59"

September 2.73"

October 1.91"

November 0.69"

December 0.67"

Annual total 21.46"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 399

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 9,284

Approximate annual cooling cost At 13.61¢/kWh, North Dakota average $54

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $442

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Barnes County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Barnes County?

Barnes County averages a high of 81.2°F in July and a low of -2.3°F in January. Annual precipitation is 21.46 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Barnes County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 46% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Barnes County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 81.2°F. That drives 399 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Barnes County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Barnes County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station VALLEY CITY 3 NNW, ND US (USC00328937), 2.5 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, North Dakota residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.